(So that’s what it was… the so-called Light of the Soul, the Power of the Soul, the Power of Will, the AT Field that every living being possesses—that's what it meant…) At this very moment, Zheng Zha suddenly grasped the truth: the Light of the Soul, the Power of the Soul, the Power of Will, and the AT Field were all energies spontaneously generated once a life form unlocked the intermediate stage of the Fourth Genetic Lock. This was independent of aptitude, race, or even combat specialization; the only variable was the energy's manifestation. For instance, Zheng Zha’s Light of the Soul took the form of pure white flames, while his clone manifested pure black flames. As for the real Zhao Yingkong, hers involved energy absorption, which could be described as negative energy. As he had previously surmised, reaching the intermediate Fourth Stage represented the initial practical application of energy mastery! When Zheng Zha had previously collided with the external spiritual power surrounding the Primary God-Body, his pure white flames had also erupted. Both were manifestations of spiritual power, albeit with different attributes.

The instant the two spiritual powers met and clashed, they neutralized each other, allowing Zheng Zha to finally cleave through the resilient spiritual energy barrier with his blade and genuinely approach the core of the Primary God-Body.

(In other words, if the power of the Light of the Soul is overwhelmingly immense, then only another being possessing the Light of the Soul can pose a threat to it… like my clone?) The thought barely flickered across his mind before Zheng Zha’s entire focus snapped onto the glittering crystal rapidly nearing him.

No matter how one looked at it, that shining crystal was the energy core and the weak point of the Primary God. Having finally closed the distance, he instantly targeted the crystalline structure, channeling enough True Essence Power into the Hu Po Blade. A solid strike from him would surely shatter it! Yet, the Primary God’s strength was not limited to its defenses. Zheng Zha was already moving at top speed—a normal person would only see a flash of white light as he covered hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye—but the Primary God reacted perfectly.

Zheng Zha had just severed the spiritual power shield when one of the Primary God’s arms swung to block his path. Simultaneously, its other arm and the surging spiritual power around its body attacked. Despite its massive, clumsy appearance, the subtle speed of this creature was in no way inferior to Zheng Zha’s current velocity. In less time than it takes to draw breath, from breaching the spiritual barrier to engaging in close combat, Zheng Zha brought the Hu Po Blade down heavily upon the Primary God’s arm.

He, in turn, was slapped away hundreds of meters by the creature’s palm, crashing into the ground with a resounding boom, carving a massive groove ten meters long and over a meter deep as he slid to a stop.

The Primary God was not unscathed.

Its arm was nearly three-quarters severed. The strike from the Hu Po Blade, imbued with True Essence Power, manifested as a mist-like blade aura—a pale white haze that appeared weak but was utterly destructive. Where it struck, everything was ripped apart, becoming, quite vividly, mere pulp.

For an ordinary being, that arm would have been useless. But this was no ordinary being. The crystal in the Primary God’s chest pulsed violently, sending slivers of silver light flashing over the damaged limb. Just like previous wounds, this arm began to regenerate at a visible rate. Within seconds,

the arm reattached itself, having gone from dangling precariously to being structurally sound. In moments more, the injury would vanish entirely.

Zheng Zha watched from a distance, shaking his head slightly. He knew that last attack had been a complete waste of effort; it had caused him no small internal injury while achieving nothing against the monstrous entity. Compared to this creature’s near-infinite energy reserves, his human energy was insignificant. If it came down to a sheer contest of volume, he would have to concede defeat… Since he couldn't match quantity, he would have to compensate with quality! “Chu Xuan! The Ring! Throw me the Ring!” Zheng Zha shouted loudly while hovering in mid-air, his eyes locked onto the Primary God. He watched as the creature’s arm healed completely, then the massive humanoid figure leaped, soaring a hundred meters high, descending upon him like a falling mountain.

Far away, Zhang Heng and the others watched, utterly dumbfounded. This battle had clearly transcended the scope of human conflict, or at least, the scope of ordinary humans. Even the standard Reincarnation Squad members could not possibly interfere. The combatants were pitted against each other: on one side, the peak experts from all squads who had reached the intermediate Fourth Stage; on the other, the “God”—a bio-weapon forged from the battles between ancient Sages and Cultivators. This confrontation left Zhang Heng’s group paralyzed with uncertainty. Although their attacks weren't entirely harmless to the Primary God, the threat level was minuscule.

Perhaps, besides Zheng Zha, only two others in the Central Continent Squad could genuinely threaten the Primary God… Chu Xuan was likely one of them. At that moment, he extracted the Ring from the Magic Cannon. Following Zheng Zha’s roar, he didn’t hesitate. He tapped his glasses with one hand, gripping the Ring tightly in the other, preparing to throw. When his normally placid expression suddenly ignited with fierce intensity, he hurled the Ring toward Zheng Zha. By some inexplicable means, the Ring overtook the Primary God’s descent, reaching Zheng Zha first. With a crisp snap, Zheng Zha caught it.

(…Damn it, what immense force! Is this the Power of Belief? That bastard, if he has such strength, why isn’t he here to help? Why is he just standing by and watching… Inconceivable!) After catching the Ring, Zheng Zha instinctively glanced toward Chu Xuan and the others.

The rest seemed fine; Zhang Heng’s group was poised to attack but looked uncertain how to proceed. Farther out, Imhotep and the others stood at the farthest edge of the plaza, silently observing the fight. Only Chu Xuan appeared utterly unconcerned. After throwing the Ring,

he was calmly packing away the Magic Cannon while watching the fight, showing no discernible interest in the violence.

(This guy usually goes into a frenzy whenever he encounters something unknown, like new knowledge, but why is he showing absolutely no reaction this time? Did the 'three-no' man become completely devoid of emotion? Or does this change mean we won't gain anything from this, making it smarter to have just blasted the Primary God with the Magic Cannon from the start? Forget it, I can’t worry about that now—I need to take care of this Primary God first!) Zheng Zha watched the Primary God charging at him. He spread his wings and soared away. With a heavy thud, the Primary God slammed hard onto the ground below. Then, the crystal in its chest flashed.

Zheng Zha, still airborne, was instantly engulfed in a wave of silver flame. The Primary God seized the opportunity to leap towards him again.

“It’s useless. I am protected by the Light of the Soul too. Unless it’s neutralized by an equal light or shattered by overwhelmingly vast power, I cannot be harmed. Furthermore, my Light of the Soul is flame-based, similar to the Red Flame skill. I am practically immune to fire right now…” As the silver explosion faded, Zheng Zha remained standing unharmed.

He sneered at the rapidly approaching Primary God. However, the Hu Po Blade in his hand was now emitting an eerie, distinct color, completely different from when he had channeled True Essence Power. Previously, the True Essence had produced that misty blade aura.

Now, the Hu Po Blade lacked the mist. Aside from emitting a faint crimson glow, it exuded a unique, oppressive aura.

“If you compress Inner Force to its limit, you obtain the True Essence Power possessed by cultivators… While True Essence Power can propel and wield the Hu Po Blade, this weapon is fundamentally a demonic artifact… So, what happens if I compress the energy of the Blood Race to its limit? I haven't tried it, but there’s no harm in testing it in the (Hidden Dragon Transformation) state. At worst, I’ll suffer some injuries, but if I succeed…” Zheng Zha gave the Hu Po Blade a slight shake, and the pressure radiating from it instantly dispersed around them. In that instant, the Primary God, which had been leaping towards him, let out a loud roar.

From its human-like head, a massive mouth opened, emitting a deafening sound.

It was impossible to tell if it was fear or rage… assuming this “God” possessed human emotions.

“This newly acquired black energy, I shall tentatively call it Demonic Power. Only when propelled by Demonic Power can the Hu Po Blade unleash its true might…” As the Primary God lunged, Zheng Zha stood his ground, meeting the assault head-on. The Hu Po Blade in his hand swung up to meet the enemy’s descending palm. Something inexplicable happened; a flash of crimson light erupted, forcing everyone watching the battle in the distance to squeeze their eyes shut. Although the light wasn't intensely blinding, they all closed their eyes as if compelled. When they reopened them, the entire arm of the Primary God had vanished into nothingness. That massive limb, dozens of meters long, had simply evaporated. Zheng Zha hovered before the Primary God on his wings, and where his Hu Po Blade pointed was the shining crystal embedded in its chest.

“Awakened. This is the true power of the Hu Po Blade… What a shame, I really wanted to try ‘that move,’ but it seems I won’t have the chance…” Zheng Zha gently slashed toward the crystal. Again, a crimson light flashed, but this time the onlookers forcibly kept their eyes open. To them, the Hu Po Blade seemed to transform into a giant tiger, sinking its jaws into the Primary God’s chest crystal. When the tiger image vanished, so too did the Primary God’s entire torso… A third of its body was utterly obliterated by the force of that single strike—complete nothingness, leaving no trace behind…